The units in the retail version of Real War are in full 3D. In a genre dominated by games set in the alternate and distant futures, Rival Interactive's Real War takes its inspiration from the modern military and intends to accurately reflect real-life warfare. Rival Interactive President Jim Omer recently came to the GameSpot offices to demo Real War and gave us a firsthand look at the game that promises to introduce a level of realism that hasn't been seen yet in RTS gaming. Real War is based on Joint Forces Deployment, a game first used as a training tool by the military, which featured accurate modeling of real-life combat units and tried-and-true tactics that the military instills in its servicemen. The game engine behind Joint Forces Deployment was retooled for Real War, and the game has undergone several cosmetic changes, but the underlying strategy and mechanics that distinguish these two from other games in the genre have remained largely unchanged.

　　The Real War campaign scenarios are based on current themes of military interest, including nuclear proliferation, espionage, and diplomacy, and take place across arctic, jungle, and desert environments. Joint Chief of Staff General Shelton has contributed the true-to-life tenets of military strategy that guide players to victory. These rules of combat are reflected as realistically as possible in the game, from the focus on air superiority to the inclusion of propaganda planes, which drop leaflets that spread dissent and lessen opposing unit morale. You can take the role of either a commander of the United States forces or the opposition, a conglomerate of hostile entities known as the Independent Liberation Army (ILA). The dual campaigns are interwoven intricately such that the actions of one army are reflected in the missions of its counterpart, stage for stage. Intrigue plays a big part in a story that so far has disturbingly reflected controversial events in recent military history. In the early segments of the single-player campaign, the ILA has test-nuked a civilian-inhabited area and has framed the US forces, drawing them undue amounts of blame and hostility throughout the world. The US must then send in Special Forces to secret nuclear bunkers to steal information that may clear the United States' name.

　　A helicopter crashes over the base as the enemy launches an offensive. Graphically, Real War features impressive computer-generated (CG) movies that nicely complement the game's own 3D unit models and detailed backgrounds. The CG movies are based on the same short films that were used in Joint Forces Deployment and, in some cases, are unmistakable for news film. In-game, Real War features intuitive control menus that can be cleared and brought up on command and that allow for easy build, buy, and deploy commands. Planes land and take on airstrips, and destroyed tanks fly through the air, causing collateral damage as they flip over and around enjoyably. However, from what we saw, the 3D unit models wage war across a relatively lifeless tileset with static water and few environmental effects. Rival Interactive plans to implement more detailed backgrounds before release and may improve upon other graphical slights, such as the often-lifeless bunkers and the overabundance of helicopters. However, fans of die-hard military drama will no doubt be impressed by the included voice talents of R. Lee Ermey, best known for his role as Gunnery Sergeant Hartman in Stanley Kubrick's Full Metal Jacket. Ermey's role in the game will be to run mission briefings that accurately reflect and enforce the tone of the briefings used during Joint Forces Deployment and during real-life military campaigns in the gruff tone that's his trademark.

Defeating the Opposition

　　Each type of unit in Real War requires a special base. Real War will feature a number of controls and options that are intended to make the process of playing an RTS more intuitive and enjoyable. Scrolling across the map frantically in search of that important unit can eat up valuable seconds of game time, which Real War corrects by its use of a handy unit-selection menu located at the bottom of the onscreen display. Once you select a unit from this menu, you can automatically center the camera to center on this unit or send it orders. Zooming in and out of the map with a wheel mouse allows you to get a wider view of the battlefield or to come in close for a good look at the action. Other subtle gameplay mechanics are meant to allow you to spend more time playing and less time managing--this includes units that will self-repair when damaged and left on their own. Perhaps most innovative is how Real War implements the military tactic of the multiple strike. As one of the basic tenets of success in battle is the combined attack, Real War allows for multiple units to be added to an attack queue, where their movements and attack orders can be delayed. Air, sea, and land units of varying movement rates can then attack singular or multiple positions at precisely the same moment, dealing the opponent the decisive blow. A damage multiplier is applied during these tactical strikes, making such attacks vital and effective.

　　In keeping with the military strategy that Real War is based on, controlling air space and dominating the opposition with your powerful air units is particularly vital, and to more effectively emphasize the importance of air superiority, a number of fighter jet evasive maneuvers will be included. Fighters can deploy flares to impede incoming missiles, and during dogfights, they can execute the looping Immelmann maneuver to great effect. Other units based on real-life combatants have been tweaked to better balance them for gameplay. Missile-launching units that normally are immobile have been mobilized to make them effective for combat, and units that would normally challenge your effectiveness are made tantalizingly deadly. Navy SEALs in particular are able to pull off a number of impressive tactical maneuvers, including setting demolitions, laying down powerful short-range fire, and even diving into the water to get around pesky defensive installations and guards. The ILA will have its own unique attack methods, which can range from the standard bomb-toting terrorists to suicidal pontoon boats that can fell your strongest battleships. The level of depth in many of the units implies that you will be spending many satisfying hours learning how to best master your individual capabilities.

　　The skirmish mode lets you jump right into the action. Real War will feature multiplayer and quick-play skirmish modes as well as the single-player 24-mission campaign. We've been impressed by the innovative control, new strategic planning elements, and unequaled realism that Real War is introducing to a genre that has so far been dominated by games with less serious settings. Real War is being published by Simon & Schuster and is set for release this August.